Little Boy Blue
by eggsaladstain
Summary: Henry is good at pretending. Season one told through the eyes of Henry Mills. COMPLETE.
1. I

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

I.

He loves her the moment he sees her. She is tall and blonde and pretty and there is something nice about her face, even when she looks confused. Henry sighs in relief. He had spent the entire bus ride worrying. Worrying that she might turn out to be exactly like the mayor (mean and dark and cold), worrying that she might hate him, worrying that she might not listen. But he is good at pretending, so he slides through the door like he isn't scared to death and plops down on a chair like he belongs there.

When he tells her that he is her son, she looks so scared and for a moment, he can see his own face in hers.

At least she hasn't kicked him out yet. Henry begins to believe for the first time that this whole thing just might work out.

He rifles through her fridge and finds half-empty takeout boxes, bottles of wine, milk and juice, and a package of string cheese. (A tiny part of him thinks that maybe it was a good thing she gave him up after all – the mayor at least knows how to cook.) He sees the single cupcake on the counter and wonders if it is her birthday and then why isn't she out with friends and maybe she is just like him, lonely and alone and maybe that's why she hasn't kicked him out yet and _just maybe_.

She doesn't look scared anymore when she comes out of the bathroom and he takes this as a good sign to start setting his plan in motion.

He says, _I want you to come home with me_, but he really means, _I want us to go home together_.

She's very smart but so is he so he pushes, just to see what she'll do. But then she starts acting very grown-up and calls his bluff and he worries that maybe this won't work after all so he does his best sad-scared voice and says_ come home with me_.

He wants to say _come home with me forever._

In the car, she turns very no-nonsense and acts so much like the mayor that he is sure that this was a terrible plan. But then he realizes that she hasn't actually put him on a bus despite all her threats so maybe she was also just bluffing.

He likes the way she calls him _kid._ (But he pretends not to.)


	2. II

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

II.

He tells her about the fairy tales and he knows she doesn't believe it (he can see it in the way she rolls her eyes, he can hear it in the sound of her voice), but at least she's listening. So he keeps talking and she keeps pretending to believe him and he keeps pretending he believes that she believes him.

Henry is good at pretending.

But then she still takes him back to the mayor's house and he begs and pleads with her that it's not too late, she doesn't have to do this. But it is too late and she does have to do this and out runs the mayor, looking so sad that for a second, Henry can't remember which mother she is. (The mayor-mother or the real mother?) And then she is crying and hugging and fawning over him, but she feels so cold and he chokes on the sweetness of her perfume and then he remembers.

He runs upstairs because he is tired and upset and he thinks the occasion warrants a temper tantrum. He listens to the sheriff tell him how very worried his mother was and how he must try not to worry her so much in the future. But she is not his mother, she is the mayor, Henry wants to say, but instead he nods and says, _yes, of course, Sheriff Graham_, and nods again.

Through his window, he sees her leaving and he is so angry and upset that she pretended to believe him, but he knew she was pretending and he pretended to believe her anyway, so maybe it was his fault too.

Sometimes, Henry is too good at pretending.


	3. III

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

III.

Everyone tells him that the mayor loves him, but what they don't know is that the person the mayor loves isn't him, but someone she thinks he is or maybe someone she wants him to be.

He is ten years old but he's very smart. He's seen other kids and their parents – he's seen (he knows) that the way those parents look at their kids is different from the way the mayor looks at him. He used to think it was because he's adopted. Now, he knows it's because she just doesn't love _him_.

When Henry was young, she used to spend all her time with him, taking him around town, playing with him, reading him stories. She would ask him if he liked certain things, but she always paid too much attention to his response, like it wasn't a question, but a test. For a while, Henry tried to guess the right answers, tried to pretend to be whoever it was that the mayor loved so much. But then he kept getting the answers wrong and she stopped taking him places and so he stopped pretending to be whoever it was that she wanted him to be.

He's good at pretending, but that doesn't mean he always wants to.


	4. IV

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

IV.

She returns his story book, just like he thought she would. She still doesn't believe him about the fairy tales, just like he thought she wouldn't. She doesn't see the big picture yet, but the fact that she is still here, it means something.

_I know you like me, I can tell_, he says with a grin. He really means, _I love you._

But he doesn't say it because she's not ready and maybe he isn't either but he wants her to be and he wants to be and maybe he wants her to hear what he really means and not just what he says and _just maybe_.

When he says, _I know why you gave me away, _a small, selfish part of him hopes she hears, _I wish you hadn't given me away_.

He wants her to stay! He wants her to stay so badly, to break the curse, to defeat the Evil Queen, to live happily ever after (with him). But she doesn't believe in happy endings because she hasn't seen any because she thinks she was abandoned by her parents because she doesn't know that they're here, they're _here_, just waiting for her to find them.

And then he is crying and she is crying and he made his own mother cry! and he thinks he has never been so sad to see someone else cry before.

And then she says _come on, Henry_, but to him, it really sounds like _come on, son_.

He is ten years old so he's not a baby anymore and he doesn't like holding hands with anyone, but he grabs hers anyway because she needs it and he needs it and he is _just_ ten years old and all he has ever wanted in his life is to hold his mother's hand. It is warm and small and her grip is tight. She has her own life and she still doesn't believe him and she thinks he is better off with the mayor, but he holds her hand anyway, like she is his loving mother and he, her darling son.

Henry is good at pretending.


	5. V

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

V.

It hurt when he heard her say that word, _crazy._ It hurt when he heard _her _say that word. Because it was one thing to pretend that she believed him and it was another thing to hear her say that she didn't.

And Henry sits in Jiminy-no, Dr. Hopper's office and wonders if he _is _crazy. Because how can he keep on believing himself when no one else does?

If he _is _crazy, then there's no curse. And then there's no curse for Emma to break and then there's no reason for her to stay. And Henry is mad at Emma, but she's still his mother and he'll still miss her if she leaves. Because if Emma leaves, then everything will go back to the way it was before, and he doesn't know how can he go back to the way things were, now that he's found her, now that he knows her (now that he loves her).

Jiminy-no, _Dr. Hopper_ asks if he wants to talk about it. And Henry doesn't, because talking about it makes it real. And right now, he's a little angry and a little sad and he doesn't want _real_, he just wants to feel better.

But it's hard to feel better when everyone thinks he's crazy and it's hard to feel better when he thinks he might be crazy. Because Henry is ten years old and he's very smart so he knows that there's a chance that he was wrong about the whole fairy tales thing. And that makes him feel worse.

He tells Dr. Hopper, _I don't think you're anyone_, and a small part of him believes it.

And then someone's walking down the hall and the knob turns and he sinks into the couch a little further because he doesn't want to go back with the mayor (but is it because she's an Evil Queen or because she's not his real mother and Henry's not sure).

But it's not the mayor, it's Emma, and her hair looks a little wild and her eyes are wide and he thinks _she _looks a little crazy.

She says she's sorry and he doesn't want to talk to her, he doesn't want to believe her because sometimes believing hurts. But she's his _mother _so he can't help wanting to believe her because who else would he believe if not her?

And she calls the curse _crazy _and he still doesn't like that word but it doesn't sound so bad and it doesn't hurt so much when she's not using that word about him.

He can't help it, _he can't help it_, and he tries to stop it, but a tiny bit of hope fills him anyway and then she throws the pages into the fire and he's a goner.

And Henry is ten years old, so he's not a baby anymore and he doesn't like hugs but he hugs her anyway because she is _special_ and she's the only person in the world who really listens to him and who really believes him and he is _just _ten years old and he's been waiting his whole life to be hugged by her.

He says, _I knew you were here to help me_, and he really means, _I knew you loved me_, and she says, _that's right, kid, I am_, and he can't help but hear, _that's right, kid, I do_.

And Henry still likes the way she calls him, _kid._ (But he still pretends not to.)


	6. VI

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

VI.

Henry waits by the car and wonders what Emma and the mayor are talking about. He wonders what _grown-ups_ talk about. Because he talks with Emma about the curse and Operation Cobra, and he tries not to talk with the mayor about too much of anything, and Emma and the mayor don't have much in common (other than him) so he wonders what they talk about to each other. He knows they talked about him, but that was yesterday, and today, things are different because today, Emma is on his side, he's sure of it.

The mayor comes out of the hospital and she smiles at him and Henry thinks her smile is a little _too_ wide and he really wonders what she said to Emma.

She starts lecturing him in the car about how disappointed she is that he lied to her and how lying is bad and Henry nods and says _sorry_ but he's not listening because he's thinking about this morning. This morning at the diner, when Emma sat across from him and Ms. Blanchard sat next to him, when Henry felt for the first time like he had a family. And the only thing missing was John Doe, who was really Prince Charming, who was really Emma's father, who really belonged with Ms. Blanchard, who was really Snow White.

And another thing missing from his family was his own father and Henry had wanted to ask Emma about him ever since she got here. But he remembered that Emma lived alone which meant that she wasn't with him anymore and maybe it had ended badly so Henry kept his mouth shut and didn't ask.

He thinks maybe it doesn't matter who his father is.

Because he has Emma for his mother and if his father wasn't good enough for Emma, then his father also isn't good enough for him, and he trusts Emma more than anyone else because she is his mother.

He doesn't need both parents, he doesn't need his father, because _Emma_ is his mother and she is perfect and having her is enough_._

But Emma doesn't have _any_ parents because her parents don't know they're her parents, which is a problem that Henry is determined to fix. Because Emma makes him feel safe and important and loved and he wants her to feel that way too.

And that's why it's so important for Mary Margaret and John Doe – oh, but his name is actually David – to be together, because they belong together, and most importantly, they belong together with Emma and with him.

Henry thinks they could be the perfect family: him and Emma and Ms. Blanchard and David.

_Have you heard a word I've been saying?_, the mayor snaps him out of his fantasy. Henry shrugs, and she sighs and starts lecturing him again about how rude that is and how he should listen to people when they're speaking to him, and Henry nods and says _sorry_ but he's not listening because he's thinking about his family.

And right now, Henry doesn't even mind being yelled at by the mayor because things are different now that he knows he has a family, a _real_ family.

But then the car pulls into the driveway of that big house, the mayor's house, and Henry remembers that they're not really his family, not yet. Because the curse hasn't been broken and nothing's changed and Ms. Blanchard and David don't know who they really are and they don't know who Emma really is and she doesn't belong to them and Henry doesn't belong to her.

_Come on, Henry_, that cold voice says, and he remembers that he still belongs to the mayor.

He brushes his teeth, changes into his pajamas, says goodnight, and goes up to his room. Through his window, he sees the clock tower ticking away, and Henry closes his eyes and pretends that Emma is in the next room, Emma and the rest of his family. When he opens his eyes, nothing's changed, but at the same time, _everything's_ changed.

Because the clock is moving and _time _is moving, and soon, everyone will remember, and soon, the curse will be broken, and soon, he will be with his family.

Until then, Henry will make do with pretending.


	7. VII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

VII.

Going to school might not be so bad, Henry thinks, if Emma would walk him every day.

He doesn't need her to, of course. He is ten years old so he's not a baby anymore and he can look after himself and besides, it's not like Storybrooke is dangerous or anything. He doesn't need her to, which is why it makes him so happy that she does anyway.

It's nice, being cared about like that.

Still, Henry wonders if it's really safe – he knows for a fact that the mayor has eyes everywhere. And the mayor really doesn't want him spending time with Emma, and the last time he went against her, he got grounded. But Emma isn't worried because she's brave like that, so he won't worry either.

She really is _perfect_ for Operation Cobra.

(And for him.)

He asks her about codenames, partly because he thinks they need them, just in case, but mostly because he's not sure what to call her. Because he's been calling her _Emma _out loud, but in his head, he likes to call her _Mom. _But she's not ready for that yet, and maybe he's not ready to say it either.

And she tells him to just call her _Emma_, but Henry thinks she takes a little too long to answer his question. Maybe she's not really sure what she wants to be called either, and maybe she wants to be called something else too, and _just maybe_.

They reach the bus and it's time for him to go, and Henry thinks that going to school really might not be so bad if she would walk him every day.

And when he says, _I'll see you later, Emma,_ he pretends he's really saying, _I'll see you later, Mom_.


	8. VIII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

VIII.

_I made a deal with him_, Emma says.

Henry doesn't like the sound of that. He doesn't like the sound of that at all. Because even though he hasn't figured out yet who Mr. Gold is, he knows that he's not good, and he knows that deals with him are really _not good_.

He has a really bad feeling about it. Because Ashley also made a deal with Mr. Gold, and he almost took her baby because of it.

Henry wonders what Mr. Gold will take from Emma.

He looks up at her. He wants to ask, _what sort of deal did you make, why did you have to make a deal with him, will everything be okay? _

But Emma just smiles because she's brave like that. She doesn't seem too worried.

Henry pretends he's not either.


	9. IX

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

IX.

They're rushing to get him home, and in the car, Emma talks about codenames and wants to be called Pumpkin, which is really a terrible name for her, because she's nothing at all like a pumpkin.

She drops him off at the house. _About what you said at the hospital, about me being able to leave?_

And Henry is worried she will say that she's leaving. Because she's been here for about a week now, and that was _their_ deal – _just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask_, he had said – so she can leave now, and she's the only one who _can_ leave. But her stuff is here at Ms. Blanchard's, Henry remembers, which means she wants to stay, right?

And just because she _can_ leave doesn't mean she _will_, right?

Emma says, _see you tomorrow,_ and Henry smiles in relief. She can do whatever she wants, so she doesn't have to stay, which is why it makes him so happy that she decides to anyway.

The mayor comes back and Henry pretends he never left. He tries to read his comic books, but really, he's thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow, maybe he and Emma will figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and maybe they'll come up with a plan to get Ms. Blanchard and David Nolan together, and maybe they'll go visit Dr. Hopper and make him realize that he's really Jiminy Cricket, and _just maybe_.

For the first time in a long time, Henry is really looking forward to tomorrow. The mayor calls him down for dinner and asks about his day, and Henry lies and says that he finished all his homework. For dessert, she lets him have some cookies and a glass of chocolate milk.

He pretends it is hot cocoa with cinnamon.

Until tomorrow, he will make do with pretending.


	10. X

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

X.

It hurt when Emma called him _crazy_, but it makes him angry when Dr. Hopper does. Because Dr. Hopper – Archie – doesn't say _crazy_, he says _psychosis_, which is much, much worse than _crazy,_ because psychosis means they can lock you away.

Henry doesn't want to be locked away – it sounds lonely and scary. And he thought he could trust Archie, he thought he could bring him into Operation Cobra, but now, he's not so sure. And Archie needs to be part of Operation Cobra because he is Jiminy Cricket, and Jiminy Cricket is _good_, and Emma is going to need _good_ on her side in order to break the curse.

Henry storms out the door – he doesn't know where he's going and he doesn't care, he just doesn't want to be there anymore.

He ends up outside Ms. Blanchard's door and smells chocolate and cinnamon and hears Emma's muffled voice. And all of a sudden, he's not mad anymore, he's hurt, he's really hurt. He feels tears prick his eyes and tries to make them stop.

Because Henry is ten years old, so he's not a baby anymore and he's not a _cry_baby anymore – he tries to stay mad and he pretends like it doesn't hurt, but he is _just_ ten years old and he hates being called crazy and he is so afraid of being locked away.

He knocks on the door and Emma appears, her face scrunched in worry. _Kid, what happened?_, she asks, and Henry doesn't know where to start and the harder he tries to stop the tears, the harder they come.

And Henry was mad, but Emma is even madder. She's breathing heavily and her hands are on her hips and when Henry says that Archie talked about locking him away, she slams her hand on the table, tells him _stay here_, and storms out.

_Oh dear,_ he hears Ms. Blanchard murmur. He asks if Emma is okay and she just smiles at him and hands him a mug of hot chocolate and some cinnamon cookies and says _it's nothing_.

They talk about the fairy tales and Ms. Blanchard is so nice and she never judges him or calls him crazy and he likes it and he likes her. She says it's okay for him to think the fairy tales are real because believing in happy endings is a powerful thing.

Henry keeps quiet and nods, but he really wants to say, _what about your happy ending_?

And the only way to bring back the happy endings is for Emma to break the curse, and she'll need Archie's help for that because every good story has a hero with a dependable sidekick.

And the only way to make Archie see that he is really Jiminy Cricket is to find proof. Proof, which is at the sinkhole, Henry's sure of it.

His tears have dried by now and he feels a bit better. He thanks Ms. Blanchard for the cocoa and cookies, and lies that he's going home. As soon as she closes the door, he runs outside, toward the sinkhole.

It's nice out today, sunny and bright, but somehow, the hole looks even darker and more dangerous than it did last night.

_What would Emma do_?, he asks himself. Henry pulls out a flashlight and grits his teeth. She would be brave and strong, and she would check it out, that's what she would do.

She wouldn't be scared.

He takes a deep breath and makes his way inside.

Henry pretends he isn't either.


	11. XI

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XI.

Afterwards, everyone tells him how lucky he is. Lucky that the elevator shaft was there, lucky that they were able to get to him.

Everyone tells him how lucky he is, but Henry knows that luck is just another word for _magic._

It's _magic_ and Emma that saved him and Archie today.

It's _magic_ and Emma that will save Storybrooke.

He sits next to her on the edge of the sinkhole and thinks that, all things considered, it was a pretty good day. She turns her head towards him and grabs his hand, _you really scared me_. And when Henry says _I'm sorry_, he really means it.

Emma pats him on the back and they get up to leave when he hears them, crickets. To his ears, they sound happy.

He looks up at Emma and smiles. She's changing things, she's weakening the curse, she's bringing back the happy endings. He can't wait for their happy ending, their happy ending _together_.

And it's not that day yet, but it's coming, it's coming soon. His fantasy and reality are starting to overlap, and before long, they'll be the same.

She walks him over to the mayor's car and smiles at him, _see you later, kid_. He pretends she is saying, _son_. Henry smiles back and waves, _see you later, Emma_. He pretends he is saying, _Mom_.

He looks up at the evening sky and sees a bright, glimmering star.

Henry closes his eyes and makes a wish.

A wish for the day he won't have to pretend anymore.


	12. XII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XII.

When David comes over, Henry notices a change in Emma. She stands up really quickly and smiles really big and laughs at things that aren't even really that funny. And the way she looks at David, it's familiar.

Henry recognizes that look. It's the same way he looks at Emma.

He watches them talking and thinks it's kind of funny how different she acts, all girly and giggles. He asks her about it later, after David leaves the room. _Are you twirling your hair?_

She quickly puts her hand down, _no, of course not!_

He tugs her jacket and she leans down. _It's okay, I won't tell anyone, _he whispers with a grin.

She clears her throat – _I have no idea what you're talking about – _and stands back up. _Come on, Henry, let's go get some food_.

He follows her down the hall and decides not to push it. He thinks it would probably be bad for her reputation if word got out that Emma Swan, Storybrooke Deputy and former bounty hunter, is really also _daddy's little girl_ and a _hair twirler_. The thought makes him laugh, and he decides he'll keep her secret. For now.

Later that night, he sees her watching David on the other side of the room, her hair wrapped around her finger again. And then Dr. Whale says her name, and she turns to him, hand dropping back down.

She catches Henry's eye and he grins.

He pretends he didn't see anything.


	13. XIII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XIII.

It surprises Henry when Sheriff Graham shows up at the door asking about the fairy tales. Because of all the residents of Storybrooke, Henry never thought the sheriff would be the first one to remember.

He pulls out the old book and shows him the story of how the assassin defied the evil queen and saved the princess. That's the story that's written in the pages, but there's more to it than just that.

Because the huntsman's story is really Henry's story - the story of a lost and lonely little boy who just wants to feel love.

And it's Emma, his mom, who has brought love into his life. Because Emma is the savior and she's going to bring back the happy endings. And she is Henry's happy ending, but he wonders now if she might also be Sheriff Graham's. Because her kiss made him remember and Henry still thinks kisses are kind of gross, but he might make an exception for true love's kiss.

It's true love's kiss that saved Snow White, and it's true love's kiss that saved David Nolan, and it's true love's kiss that's breaking the curse now.

Things are turning out better than Henry could have ever hoped, but he can't help but wonder if it's real, if it will last. Because he remembers the next part of the huntsman's story.

The part where the Evil Queen ripped out his heart. The part where she locked him in a cage.

That's the story that's written in the pages, and of all the stories in the book, Henry thinks it might be the saddest.

The tale of a lost and lonely little boy who is trapped by a woman he doesn't love.

The huntsman's story is really Henry's story. And more than anything, he is afraid that he will end up like him: caged, unfeeling, heartless.

That's how the story goes, but Henry doesn't know how it ends.

He sits quietly next to the sheriff, one lost and lonely boy to another.

He pretends it's a happy ending.


	14. XIV

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XIV.

After the funeral, Henry goes up to his room, changes into his pajamas from his black pants, black jacket, black shirt, and black tie (black, black, black, as if he didn't feel bad enough already) and sits on his bed. He pulls the story book off his nightstand and flips to the huntsman's story.

Weren't fairy tales supposed to have happy endings?

But they're not fairy tales, Henry knows, they're _real_, and in the real world, stories don't always have happy endings.

For the first time since Ms. Blanchard gave him the book, he wishes they really were just fairy tales.

For the first time, he wishes he didn't know about the curse, and more importantly, he wishes he hadn't tried so hard to break it. But he does know and he did try, and because of that, Sheriff Graham is dead.

Henry knew it would be a war, a war between good and evil, but he must have forgotten that there are _casualties_ in war.

Graham was the first, and Henry knows enough about history and wars to know that he won't be the last. If he had to choose between casualties and the curse, he would pick the curse. Because what's the point in defeating evil if good people die along the way?

Graham was a good person.

Emma, Ms. Blanchard, Archie – they are all good people too.

Storybrooke can't lose any more good people, Henry can't lose any more good people.

He makes up his mind.

He slams the story book shut and throws it across the room as hard as he can.

Operation Cobra is over.

It's the right decision.

He crawls under the covers. But. If they give up, then evil wins, and then Graham's death will have been for nothing, and doesn't that make it worse? Henry tosses and turns. But then, either way, he's still gone and nothing will change that.

Henry turns onto his back and stares up at the ceiling.

Operation Cobra _is_ over.

It's the right decision. (Isn't it?)

He turns off the light and closes his eyes.

He pretends it is.


	15. XV

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XV.

Emma wins the election, and Henry is so happy he wants to jump up and down and hug her and never let go. But the mayor is right there, so instead, he just sits there and smiles, smiles so hard his face hurts a little bit.

He's not sure if it's a miracle or if it's magic (and maybe they're the same thing), but good beat evil today, and it's all because of her. And for the first time in two weeks, he thinks they have a real chance – at breaking the curse, at having a happy ending.

_Come on, Henry,_ the mayor says to him,_ it's time to go home._ And Henry remembers that they haven't won. Yet.

This war is just beginning and they still have a long way to go. But he knows that with Emma as their leader – their savior – they can't lose. She is strong and brave and most importantly, she gives people hope.

She gives him hope.

He watches her clip the sheriff's badge to her belt and breathes a little sigh of relief. He has been worrying this whole time (ever since Graham), worrying about her, worrying that she might get hurt, but he realizes now that he doesn't really need to. Emma isn't worrying and she isn't afraid, so Henry won't be either.

Operation Cobra will go on, of course it will! He's a little ashamed that he thought about giving up in the first place. Because heroes don't give up, and when things are tough, they fight even harder.

That's what Emma is, a hero, a savior. Their hero, their savior.

And Henry makes a promise to himself that from now on, he'll never give up again. Because from now on, Emma will need all the help she can get and Henry will be there to help her.

The mayor honks her horn from outside. Henry hops down from his stool and grabs his backpack. Just before he reaches the door, he stops, runs back over to Emma, and wraps his arms around her.

_I'm proud of you_, he whispers, and she laughs and gives him a little squeeze.

The horn honks again and Henry sighs. He lets go of her and walks back to the door.

_Bye, Sheriff_, he yells with a grin and a wave.

_See you tomorrow, kid_, she calls back.

And Henry still likes the way she calls him, _kid._ (But he still pretends not to.)


	16. XVI

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

**Little Boy Blue**

* * *

><p>XVI.<p>

Henry has never had friends. Not that he ever really minded, because he's better off on his own and he likes it that way.

But sitting at the table at Ms. Blanchard's, eating and baking cookies with Ava and Nicholas makes him think that maybe he's been missing out.

They're funny and nice and most importantly, they're a lot like him. They don't have a father either.

They don't have a father, but they have each other, and Henry can't help but feel a little jealous.

Henry has never had anyone but himself.

A piece of cookie dough lands on his cheek. Ava giggles loudly and Henry can feel his own smile forming. He picks up a piece of dough from the bowl and throws it back at her. Nicholas joins in, and soon, they're in a food fight and there's more cookie dough on their clothes than on the cookie sheets.

They're all laughing so hard he's not sure where his laughs end and theirs begin.

And Henry realizes that he really has been missing out, because as much as he likes hanging out with Emma, it's not the same as hanging out with people his own age.

Henry's never had anyone but himself, but maybe now, he has friends.

Mary Margaret comes back later, scolds them for the mess, and then cleans them up before sending them home. Henry stays behind to wait for Emma and waves goodbye as they leave.

Maybe they'll come over again next weekend. Maybe next time, they'll actually bake cookies instead of throwing them at each other. Maybe he'll even show them his book.

Next weekend, he pretends, next weekend they'll do this again.

Henry is good at pretending.


	17. XVII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XVII.

It doesn't really matter to Henry who his father is – because having Emma is enough – but that doesn't mean he's not curious. Sometimes, when he's alone at night, he wonders what kind of man he is and whether or not they look alike.

He wonders if he's good, maybe a lawyer or a doctor, with a nice voice and kind eyes. But if he's so good, then why isn't he still with Emma?

He wonders if he's bad, maybe a criminal or a drunk, with a quick temper and a strong fist. If he's bad, then it's a good thing Emma isn't with him, but if he's bad, does that mean Henry will be too?

He's not sure which he would prefer his father to be.

But then Emma tells him that he was good, _a real hero_, and Henry is relieved and proud to have a mother who is a sheriff and a father who was a fireman. Relieved, proud, and hurt - hurt that he'll never be able to meet him, not even just once.

He knew it was too much to wish for the three of them to become a real family, but he would have liked to see his face, hear his voice, shake his hand.

It hurts for him, and he wonders how much it must also hurt for Emma. Henry thinks maybe that was the real reason she wanted her codename to be Pumpkin – not just for Cinderella, but for Henry's father who loved pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin is also Henry's favorite pie and it makes him a little happy to think that a part of his father lives on in him.

_Your father was the real hero_, Emma says, but she's a hero too, and he hopes that one day, he might follow in their footsteps.

It's too late now for the three of them to have a happy ending, but Henry wonders if there might be another world out there somewhere where they are all together, a happy family.

He hopes there is.

He pretends there is.


	18. XVIII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XVIII.

Strangers don't come to Storybrooke – except for Emma, and she's not really a stranger because she's the savior – but there he is, out by the curb.

He's wearing a leather jacket and fixing his motorcycle with the helmet dangling off the handlebar.

He looks so _cool_.

Henry walks up to the stranger slowly, carefully. _What are you doing here?_, he asks, and the stranger does a really good job answering all of his questions with non-answers.

He's _too_ cool.

By the end of their conversation, Henry still knows nothing about him and is more curious than ever to find out why he's in Storybrooke. More importantly, he wants to find out what's in the box.

Because Henry knows what boxes hold – treasures and secrets and memories. (And sometimes, hearts.)

He wonders which one is in the stranger's box.

He wants to ask him about it again and he wants a real answer this time, but then the mayor is calling his name and the stranger is disappearing down the street.

For someone who is just visiting, Henry thinks he sure left in a hurry.

He gets into the mayor's car to go to school and reminds himself to ask Emma about the stranger. Because her superpower is that she can always tell if someone's lying and he is pretty sure the stranger is.

Henry's not the only one who's pretending.


	19. XIX

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XIX.

Henry watches Emma drive away, and for a moment, he's afraid that this is the last time he'll ever see her.

But even though it feels like it, it's not the last time. Not really.

_Don't worry,_ _I'll find a way back in_, she had said, sounding so confident that Henry couldn't help but believe her. And of course he had believed her, because she's his mother and who else would he believe if not her? And of course he had believed her, because they're a family and family always finds their way back to one another.

He doesn't want to be apart from her, but he knows that he has to, for now. It'll be just like last time – they'll let the mayor believe that she's won so that they can throw her off their trail.

Henry watches her car disappear and sighs. He knows they have to be apart, but that doesn't make it any easier.

He misses her already.

He sits down by the playground and turns the walkie talkie over in his hand. He's glad the mayor hasn't taken this from them. At least they still have this one secret.

_Emma?_, he says into it quietly.

_What's up, Henry?_

He closes his eyes and pretends that she's right there next to him.

_Nothing_, he replies_, good luck_.

_Thanks, kid_, she chuckles, _I'll talk to you later._

When he opens his eyes, it's just him and the walkie talkie. She's not there, and she never was, but just hearing her voice is better than nothing.

He places it carefully into his backpack and walks through the forest back home.

Until he can be with her again, he'll have to make do with the walkie talkie.

It's good enough for now, he tells himself.

He pretends that it is.


	20. XX

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XX.

Thirty minutes is how much time he has with Emma – just thirty minutes – and they waste the first minute at the station and spend the next two trying to figure out where to go.

_I know the mayor said ice cream, Henry, but it's a little chilly for that, isn't it? Maybe we could go to Granny's and get some hot chocolate instead, but we'll be hitting the end of the lunch rush, so it'll probably be packed – oh dammit, I dropped my keys! Don't tell your mom I said that, Henry._

She's rambling, he realizes, and it would be funny except for the fact that the clock is ticking, so he grabs the keys out of her hand, opens the door, and climbs into the passenger seat of her car.

_We don't have to go anywhere_, _Emma_, he says, _let's just stay here!_

She smiles and gets inside, and they spend the next twenty-seven minutes sitting in her car talking.

She tells him about her latest case and apologizes that she hasn't found his book yet.

He tells her about school and the comics he's been reading, and they're right in the middle of a discussion about whether the Hulk or Superman would win in a fight – Henry knows it's the Hulk, but Emma needs convincing – when they're interrupted by a tap on the window.

Thirty minutes is not a lot of time.

They get out of the car and Henry moves as slowly as possible and maybe he's imagining it, but he's pretty sure Emma does too. She drops her keys again – on purpose, he thinks – and when he picks them up and gives them to her, she gives his hand a squeeze.

When he leaves, he doesn't say _bye_, he says, _see you later_, because he will, he will see her again.

_See you later_, _Emma!_, he waves_._

She gives him a little wink, s_ee you later, kid_.

He's not sure when _later_ is, or where, or how much time they'll have, but the important thing is that they do have time together.

Thirty minutes is not a lot of time, but it's better than nothing, and Henry will take what he can get.

It's not a lot of time, but it's enough for now.

He pretends that it is.


	21. XXI

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXI.

Henry is playing Space Paranoids when Emma arrives, and surprisingly, it's a lot of fun. The mayor isn't very good at giving presents, so he's used to smiling and pretending to be happy to receive another action figure or sweater or detective story. But this present is different, he actually really likes it, and she was right, he _does_ like being the hero instead of just reading about them.

But then Emma drops something into his lap and he forgets all about his game. It's hisbook, his story book! And Space Paranoids might be fun, but it's not real, the book is real - it's real and it's right back in his hands where it belongs, thanks to Emma, the _real_ hero.

He asks her where she got it and Emma shrugs and says she found it in a gutter, like it's no big deal, like it's just a coincidence or something. But Henry knows better - it _is _a big deal. And for someone who says she's not the savior, Henry thinks she's getting pretty good at saving the day.

_It's a sign_, he says, _things are going to be better! _And he believes it, because he believes in her. Because she brought back his book, just like she'll bring back the happy endings.

_I hope you're right, kid_, and with a grin and a nudge, she's gone.

Henry watches her leave, and then opens the book, flipping through those familiar pages. _It's good to have you back_, he whispers. He closes his eyes for a moment and sees a beautiful castle, an enchanted forest. He closes his eyes and sees magic.

_Henry?, _the mayor's voice interrupts his dream. He shoves the book into his backpack just as she rounds the corner. He grabs the video game and pretends to be busy. _Henry, come on, it's time to go home._

She grabs his hand and leads him back to the car. _I see you were playing with the game I bought you_, she says on the way home. _Do you like it?_

_Oh, yeah, _Henry says, _it's really fun. Thanks._

The mayor smiles at him and pats his cheek, _See? I knew you'd like it better than your book. _And Henry smiles back and pretends she's right.

When they get home, he goes straight to his room, hides the book under his bed. He wants to read it so badly, but it's not safe and he can't risk losing it again, so he leaves it under his bed and tries not to think about it.

Henry can't read his book and he has nothing else to do, so he plays Space Paranoids until his thumbs hurt.

And later that night, when Henry goes to sleep, he holds the video game in his hand.

He pretends it's his book instead.


	22. XXII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXII.

If Henry had an older sister, he would want her to be like Ruby. She's a little wild and sometimes she's short-tempered, but she talks to him like an adult, not like a child, and she makes his cocoa just the way he likes it, with cinnamon, and she always has time to refill his mug no matter how busy she is at the diner.

On slow days, Henry reads to her from his story book. Unlike other people, Ruby _really_ listens, and they sit together at the counter, drinking cocoa, and flipping through the pages until dinner service starts and Granny tells her to get back to work.

She doesn't say it, but he can tell that she likes the stories just as much as he does.

_Wouldn't it be nice, _she says to him, _if these places really did exist? Wouldn't it be nice to leave Storybrooke?_

And Henry has to bite his tongue to keep from shouting, _but it does! It does exist!_

She doesn't leave Storybrooke, but she does leave the diner. He's on his way to Emma's when he spots her, stomping down the street, angry at Granny, angry at the world. She needs a new job, she tells him, so they go back to the station together and go over the classifieds.

He tries to help her find a job, but Ruby doesn't think she's good at anything, which isn't true, because Henry knows for a fact that she's good at making cocoa and she's good at answering the phone and she's good at _finding_ things.

He knows she's good at finding things because he's good at losing things, and it's always Ruby who finds his action figures in a bush or under a car or in a gutter. He asks her how she does it and she just shrugs her shoulders. He tells her it's her superpower and she just laughs.

She doesn't believe him, because she doesn't want to believe. No one in this town wants to believe.

And Henry wonders if maybe she doesn't want to believe because she's afraid to. And maybe the reason she stays in Storybrooke isn't just because of the curse, but because Storybrooke is safe and familiar, and _outside_ is something else.

She doesn't leave Storybrooke, but she does leave the diner. But then she goes back again. And Henry is glad to have someone to read his stories with again, but he also thinks she could be so much more than just a waitress, even if she doesn't believe it.

He thinks she would have made a pretty good deputy, and he tells her that, and she laughs again. Things go back to normal, but she's different - she's happier and doesn't act so wild and isn't so short-tempered anymore.

Things go back to normal. Ruby doesn't leave Storybrooke. She doesn't leave the diner.

But sometimes, when he sees her walking down the street, she stops in front of the sheriff's station. And sometimes, when Emma comes in for dinner, he sees Ruby looking at her badge.

Once, Ruby catches Henry watching her, and she knows that he knows. But Henry doesn't say anything, just asks for more cocoa. She refills his mug and he just smiles.

Henry's not the only one who's pretending.


	23. XXIII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXIII.

It never occurred to Henry that there might be consequences to breaking the curse. He always thought that Emma would bring back the happy endings and that would be that, just like he read in his book. But real life isn't one of his stories, real life isn't that easy.

In real life, Mrs. Nolan is gone and Ms. Blanchard is in jail and he wonders how this story could possibly have a happy ending. And he's not sure what's worse - living under a curse, or dealing with the consequences of breaking it. He used to think the curse was the worst that could happen, but now he's not so sure.

There _are_ worse things, like what happened to Ms. Blanchard.

Henry tries to visit her, but the mayor doesn't let him, so he writes her a note and gives it to Emma to give it to her.

_Dear Ms. Blanchard,_

_I believe you._

_Henry_

The next day, Emma gives him back the note, and on the other side is Ms. Blanchard's tidy handwriting, only the ink is a little smudged, like maybe she's been crying.

_Dear Henry,_

_Thank you._

It never occurred to Henry that there might be consequences to breaking the curse. Not like this.

Because the curse is bad, so breaking it must be good, but lately, Henry is beginning to see that it's not so black and white. Real life isn't so black and white and happy endings don't come so easily, and he wonders how many more consequences they'll have to face before they get their happy ending.

It's times like these when Henry starts to doubt himself, when he starts to wonder if the curse is even real. And that just makes things worse, because if the curse isn't real, then there won't be any happy endings, and at the end of the day, Mrs. Nolan will still be gone and Ms. Blanchard will still be in jail, and it will still be his fault, because he was the one who brought Emma here in the first place. Emma, who started to change things. And change was a good thing, until it wasn't, and Henry doesn't know what to think anymore.

He lays awake at night, feeling guilty about everything, and pulls out his storybook, because even though everything (all the bad things) started because of his book, it's still comfortable and familiar and still makes him feel better at the end of the day.

Henry reads through all the stories - he reads Snow White's twice - and notices they all have something in common. In each story, things always get worse before they get better. And real life isn't a story, but isn't that what stories are based on, real life?

Henry puts the book under his pillow, and things don't feel so bad anymore.

Today, Ms. Blanchard is in jail, but tomorrow is a different day, and tomorrow, he knows Emma will figure out a way to save her, to save all of them. Because things always get worse before they get better. Right?

It was the right decision, he tells himself - bringing Emma here. It's the right decision, he tells himself - breaking the curse.

But when he closes his eyes, all he sees is Ms. Blanchard's sad, smudged note, and the doubt comes back again.

It's the right decision, he tells himself.

He pretends it is.


	24. XXIV

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXIV.

When Emma asks him for his story book, Henry can tell that something's changed. _She's_ changed. She's finally starting to believe.

She flips through the pages and stops on the story about the Mad Hatter. Her eyes go wide and she looks like she's just realized something important. He wants to jump up and down and yell,_ I told you so_! He wants to hug her and tell her that he loves her.

But Henry doesn't do any of these things. He just sits next to her and smiles.

She looks so confused when she hands the book back to him that he has to stop himself from laughing. She_ is_ starting to believe, even if she doesn't know it yet.

He puts the book back in his backpack and gets up to go. She's staring off at the street with that confused look again and he has to nudge her shoulder to get her to respond. She says sorry, she was just thinking, and tells him she'll see him tomorrow. He smiles and turns around and walks back up the street. When he turns his head back, she's got that thinking look on her face again.

He feels proud, like when he gets a good grade on a test, except this is even more important because the curse is way worse than any test. And Henry knows Emma's the hero, but he helped her believe, and that's just as important, right?

He walks home, happier than he's been in a long time. He knows nothing's changed, but at the same time, it feels like everything has.

Finally, the day he's been waiting for is almost here.

The day the curse is broken.

The day he can stop pretending.


	25. XXV

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXV.

First, Henry is excited that Emma wants to snoop around the mayor's garage. Excited, because she's finally starting to fight back. But then, it makes him nervous. Nervous, because it's risky, maybe too risky, and because she could get caught.

This whole being-a-hero thing is a lot harder than he thought, Henry realizes. It's not just breaking the curse - it's everything that comes before that too. And there's a lot that comes before. There's a lot they need to do before they can break the curse. But now, they're getting somewhere. Now, they're starting to change things.

But change is scary, even when it's good, but that's the point of being a hero, isn't it? Taking risks even when they're scary.

So when Emma asks him for his help, Henry says yes. Yes, he'll help her. Yes, they'll prove Miss Blanchard is innocent. Yes, they'll beat the mayor. Yes, they'll break the curse.

When he gets home from school, he finds the key to the garage door and hides it under the doormat. And later that night, when the mayor peeks inside his room, he pretends he's sleeping and hopes she doesn't hear how fast his heart is beating.

He counts to ten before he gets up. _The eagle is in the nest and the package is secure_, he whispers into the walkie-talkie.

When he climbs back into bed, his heart is still thumping. He did his part, now it's time for Emma to do hers. And he knows she can do it, because she's the hero in this story, she's the savior.

He's not nervous. Okay, maybe just a little.

He holds the walkie-talkie in his hand and closes his eyes.

Everything's going to be fine.

He pretends that it is.


	26. XXVI

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXVI.

When Henry sees the bells in Mr. Gold's shop, he knows he's found the perfect present for Ms. Blanchard. They're all different sizes and colors, but Henry picks an old brass one, smaller than the others, barely bigger than his fist. The sound it makes when he rings it is light and high-pitched, like music.

It's perfect.

He puts it in his backpack and the bell rings quietly all the way home, a little song that makes him smile. He finds a pretty box and wraps it up carefully. He can't wait to give it to Ms. Blanchard.

He pictures her putting it on her desk at school. She'll ring it when class starts and ends and when she wants to get their attention.

He pictures her keeping it on the kitchen counter in her apartment. She'll ring it at dinnertime as a joke but then it'll become a habit and she'll do it all the time. It'll annoy Emma at first, but then she'll get used to it.

After the curse is broken, he pictures himself buying her a bell every year for her birthday. It won't be weird, because she'll be his grandmother, not just his teacher, and what kind of grandson would he be if he forgot her birthday?

Yes, he'll buy her a bell every year, and they'll all be different sizes and different sounds. And then, at Christmas, when they're all a family again, he and Emma and David and Ms. Blanchard, they'll play songs with the bells and sing Christmas carols and drink hot chocolate. With cinnamon, of course.

He hides the present under his backpack and with its muffled chimes, he imagines Ms. Blanchard's voice singing along.

Henry is good at pretending.


	27. XXVII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXVII.

Storybrooke isn't the only thing that's changed since Emma got here. Henry has also changed.

He realizes it when the mayor suggests transferring classes, after Ms. Blanchard gets out of jail and goes back to work. He realizes he's changed because he tells her no.

Before, when she would ask him to do something he didn't want to do, he would keep quiet and do it anyway. He took lessons in subjects he didn't care about, played sports he didn't like, learned instruments he wasn't good at, trying to be who she wanted him to be. That was before he knew about the curse, when he was still trying to make her happy. He was always trying to make her happy back then, but not anymore.

Now, when the mayor says it's time for a change, he gets angry. It _is_ time for a change, just not the kind she's expecting. It's time for him to push back. It's time for him to fight back, because he's tired of listening to her. He's tired of doing things he doesn't want to do and acting like he's okay with it.

Henry is tired of pretending.


	28. XXVIII

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXVIII.

Emma's running away. She's actually_ running away_, leaving Storybrooke, leaving without breaking the curse. Henry's angry and a little sad, but mostly he just can't believe it. She's the savior! She's better than this! He pinches himself and wonders if he's dreaming.

She doesn't even look like herself - her hair is messy, her eyes are wide, she's breathing really hard. He wonders if she's gone crazy. And then she speeds up and he's pretty sure she has.

This isn't very hero-like behavior, running away. This isn't her! Emma is brave and strong and she's not afraid to stand up to the mayor or anyone else, and she definitely doesn't run away.

But she's running away now, leaving Storybrooke, leaving everyone behind, leaving him. And maybe Henry could deal with her leaving him - he did once before - but he can't deal with her leaving everyone else. They're all counting on her to save them, even if they don't know it. She has to save them, even if she doesn't want to. She has to save them because she's the only one who can.

But right now, the one who needs saving is her. Because Emma won't be the hero, so Henry knows he has to be. He'll make sure she stays, he'll make sure she becomes the savior she's supposed to be.

He grabs the steering wheel and pulls. It makes him feel sick, the way the car swings around and the sound of the tires screeching. He hopes they don't crash into anything.

He really wishes this were all a bad dream.

He pretends that it is.


	29. XXIX

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXIX.

It's the second time today that Emma tells him she's leaving, and it sounds even worse this second time. Because this time, it's not the middle of the night and she doesn't look crazy, which means she must be serious.

He tries to talk her out of it again, because she needs to stay and break the curse, but also because he doesn't want her to leave. It's selfish, he knows, but he can't help it. She's his mother and he just wants to be with her. He doesn't want her to leave again, he doesn't want her to leave _him_ again.

Doesn't she want to be with him too? Isn't that enough for her to stay? Maybe it's not enough. And maybe she's right - life isn't a fairy tale and the hero doesn't always save the day and people don't always get their happy endings.

But Henry wants his happy ending. For ten years that's all he's ever wanted, and he's not about to give up now.

So he does the only thing he can do. He grabs the apple turnover and takes a bite. He'll give her a reason to stay. He'll give her a reason to believe, the way he believes in her.

He chews and swallows even though he doesn't want to, and tells himself that everything will be okay.

He's not scared.

He pretends he isn't.


	30. XXX

Little Boy Blue,  
>come blow your horn.<br>The sheep's in the meadow,  
>the cow's in the corn.<br>Where is that boy  
>who looks after the sheep?<br>Under the haystack,  
>fast asleep.<br>Will you wake him?  
>Oh no, not I.<br>For if I do,  
>he will surely cry.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Little Boy Blue<strong>

XXX.

He's in a red room. He doesn't know how he got here, or where _here_ even is. The last thing he remember is eating that apple turnover. Is he dead?

Is this where people go when they die - an empty red room?

_Emma?_ He knows she's not here, but he calls for her anyways because he's alone and scared, and she always makes him feel better, even just her name. And then all of a sudden, there are flames everywhere, crackling and flickering, and he calls out louder, _Emma_! He wishes she were here to save him.

But she_ will_ save him, he knows she will. He believes in her, so for now, he just has to be patient. He curls up in the middle of the floor and closes his eyes and thinks of things that make him happy - her face, hot chocolate with cinnamon, his story book.

He stays like that for days, maybe years, or maybe it's just been a few hours. And then suddenly, something changes. He feels warm, but not from the fire - he feels it inside, in his heart. It spreads all through him and he doesn't know how, but he knows that it must be Emma.

There's a light now, getting bigger and bigger, and it's so bright he has to close his eyes. He hears the flames go out, and then silence.

He's afraid to open his eyes at first. What if it's just a different empty room? But then he hears noises again - machines beeping and someone breathing. He feels a hand, soft and warm, and decides that it's safe.

The first thing he sees is Emma's face. Her eyes are red and she's crying, but then she smiles at him and he feels that warmth again. She did it! She saved him, just like he knew she would. She saved_ all _of them.

He smiles back at her and takes a deep breath. He's been waiting for this day for so long.

The day everything changes.

The day he stops pretending.

…

_Fin._


End file.
